


don't look down (‘cause we're still rising up)

by bellamyblakru



Series: Merthur Week 2020 Fics - Canon Era Oneshots [1]
Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Arthur Knows About Merlin's Magic (Merlin), BAMF Merlin (Merlin), Canon Era, Court Sorcerer Merlin (Merlin), Fluff, M/M, POV Merlin (Merlin), badass merlin moment👀👀, merthurweek2020
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-21
Updated: 2020-12-21
Packaged: 2021-03-09 19:42:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,748
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27811708
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bellamyblakru/pseuds/bellamyblakru
Summary: day 1: “You’re an idiot.” “But you love me.” + Fluffwho doesn’t love some merlin/arthur fluff with a little bamf merlin?
Relationships: Merlin/Arthur Pendragon (Merlin)
Series: Merthur Week 2020 Fics - Canon Era Oneshots [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2034928
Comments: 33
Kudos: 193
Collections: Merthur Week 2020





	don't look down (‘cause we're still rising up)

Magic was legalized, Morgana was MIA at the moment, and Arthur was ruling fairly well. However, his great rule did not matter to his councilmen who have been persistently on his ass lately about “obtaining a wife.”

“‘Obtaining a wife’? Why do they make it sound like I am simply buying a pair of boots at the marketplace?” Arthur grumbled, pacing back and forth in front of his unlit fireplace. 

Merlin managed a small laugh, “Arthur, you know they just want your legacy to continue after you’re gone.” 

Merlin, however, tried to ignore the pang in his chest at the idea of Arthur truly getting married. After Gwen, who is with Lancelot and are expecting, Arthur did not show much interest in either sex. He doesn’t want to know if Arthur has someone in mind for his queen—he liked their dynamic now, and getting a wife would damper their friendship...right? 

Arthur scoffed, kicking air, “Yes, but marriage for _love_ is outrageous, right? Ridiculous, even.”

Merlin’s face softened, “Arthur, they cannot force you to marry someone you don't love. You are king, after all.”

Merlin pointedly refused to understand why he was elated at Arthur’s words.

Arthur let out a sarcastic laugh, plopping down on the chair next to Merlin, who was drinking a glass of wine lounging in Arthur’s other chair, “One would think that being King had its rewards! I can barely walk around my own castle lately without my councilman suffocating me with a list of possible suitors!”

Merlin spun his wine lazily around his cup, staring into its contents, “Why don’t I...you know..?” Here, he wiggled his fingers in what he hoped came across as ‘magic.’

That finally got a true laugh out of the king, which Merlin counted as a win, “Merlin, I have known about your magic for about a year now. You are allowed to say the word out loud, you know.”

Merlin shrugged, “I like the theatrics.”

Arthur laughed again, grabbing his own cup, and humored him, “What could your magic do in this situation?”

Merlin narrowed his eyes at the king, “I’m apparently the greatest warlock to ever walk the earth! I’m sure I can think of something.”

Arthur smiled at him, “Well, if you do think of something, let me know. Maybe there is a magical solution to all of this.”

Arthur raised his cup, Merlin clinking his cup to Arthur’s, as Arthur said, “Here’s to magic, then. The only constant we have.”

Merlin tried not to think too hard about what that meant, being magic itself and all, “Here’s to magic.”

They drank, falling into a compatible silence. 

————

The next morning, Merlin had come no closer to any sort of plan. _Being an all-powerful warlock did not come with an instruction manual_ , Merlin muttered. After he left Arthur’s room, he paced in his own room in his tower. 

His room was a mess. Books were thrown everywhere, potions were set about chaotically, and his cat, who Merlin couldn’t figure out how to get rid of after he accidentally conjured it the other day—who he named Prat, and he may already be extremely fond of—was sleeping on top of his bed. 

In all this clutter, Merlin could find no solution. He rubbed at his temples and decided to go ask Gaius for help. He said goodbye to Prat, leaving him some food and water, and ran out the door. 

He managed to get there around midday as he got distracted by Gwaine for hours, and as he smashed through the door, he immediately scared Gaius who dropped a potion in response.

“Merlin! I’ve told you to stop doing that,” Gaius scolded, throwing the broom at him.

Merlin smiled sheepishly, “Sorry, Gaius. I forgot.” He used magic to clean it up, which earned The Eyebrow, but Merlin ignored it in favor of sitting on the bench in the middle, picking up random papers thrown around. 

Gaius sighed, “What is it now, Merlin?”

Merlin looked up, hopelessly (trying to gain sympathy points), and said, “I need to figure out a way to get Arthur’s council people to get off his back about marriage. It’s driving him crazy, Gaius! What do you think I should do?”

Gaius sat down across, looking wearily at him, “Merlin, you want them to get off Arthur’s back for his sake, right?”

Merlin’s heart stumbled, but he didn’t hesitate, “Of course! Why else?”

Gaius raised his eyebrow of doom, which made Merlin duck his head and answer again, “Fine. I, uh, am asking for my sake as well. Happy?”

Gaius nodded, “Always happy with honesty, Merlin,” he patted Merlin’s shoulder, “but I’m afraid I have no answer for you.”

Merlin groaned, “Come on! There’s nothing to do? I feel so helpless in this.”

Gaius’s face softened, “Merlin, you know magic cannot solve all problems, especially problems of the heart. Arthur must face this head on. I am truly sorry, my boy, I wish there was another way.”

Merlin nodded blearily, “Yes, I figured as much anyways. Thank you for humoring me, Gaius.”

Gaius nodded sadly as Merlin got up and left for the council meeting he was to attend. As Arthur’s Court Warlock, he was forced to attend all these dull meetings as well—but at least the roundtable knights were forced to join too, who Merlin enjoyed messing with when the meetings ultimately became boring. 

When Merlin arrived, the meeting had already started. Merlin cursed under his breath as he rushed to Arthur’s right side. Arthur looked at him unimpressed, so Merlin stuck out his tongue in reply. 

Rolling his eyes, and letting his mouth twitch, Arthur returned his focus on the boring lord across from him. Merlin honestly tried to tune him out—the man was intolerable. Unfortunately, Merlin’s interest peaked when he heard the word “wife” come out of the man’s mouth. 

Merlin sat up straighter watching Arthur’s body sag at the topic again, and well...Merlin can’t have that now, can he? So, he did the only thing that came to mind: he snapped.

Merlin cleared his throat, making the man stumble on his words and look at him with wide eyes. The man tilted his head at Merlin, the motion oddly serpentine, and grunted out, “Was there something you would like to add, peasant?”

Merlin saw Arthur and his knights tense at the words, ready to fight for him, so Merlin let out a small laugh to defuse the fighting atmosphere, “Actually, Lord Something I don’t care to remember, I did have something to say.”

He saw Arthur’s mouth twitch again in his peripheral, so Merlin took that as his go ahead, “The marriage talk comes to a stop, now. I do not care if you have someone ‘beautiful’ in mind, or someone who created their own universe by their own hands, or anything else,” he stood up here, coming closer to the gross man, “King Arthur will _not_ marry unless it is for love, do you understand me?”

The lord scoffed, “You do not understand how legacies work, then. The King needs-“

Merlin stopped the man mid-sentence with his empty laughter that echoed across the throne room dauntingly, “You,” he came closer to the man, pointing his finger in the man’s chest, knowing that his eyes were shining liquid gold, “have no say on ‘what the King needs.’ You know who does? The King. If he hear one more person bring up this topic, I will find them, and well...you will find out just what happens when someone makes the King upset around me. Are we clear?”

The man’s face was solid red, whether in anger or embarrassment Merlin did not know or care, when he clipped out, “Yes, Lord Merlin.”

Merlin let his hands fall to his side but made sure he looked at everyone as he backed down with his power at his fingertips. When Merlin was satisfied with the silence, he bounced back to his seat, nodding at Arthur’s open mouth of surprise. 

Arthur stared at Merlin with an unreadable expression, but he quickly shook his head, smiled a little, and said, “Anything else for today?”

The rest of the meeting went quite smoothly.

—————

Merlin followed Arthur back to his chambers, figuring he was going to get lectured again about courtly behavior, but once they made it there, and Arthur closed the door, there was nothing.

Merlin watched, standing in the middle of the room, as Arthur went over to his desk to lean against it, crossing his arms.

“Uh, Arthur?”

Arthur looked up at Merlin with a smile, “Yes, Merlin?”

Merlin tilted his head, “Are you not going to yell at me about manners or something?”

Arthur let out a small laugh, “Not this time.”

Merlin stepped closer to him, waving his hand in his face, “Who are you and what have you done to my Arthur?”

Arthur’s face shone with delight, “Your Arthur, hmm?”

Merlin blinked, taking a step back, and rubbed his neck, “Uh, that’s not..”

Arthur laughed again, stepping closer to him, “Merlin, thank you.”

Merlin stared at Arthur with wide eyes, “And you’re thanking me? Are you feeling well?”

“I am feeling quite well actually. Merlin, you said you’d solve my problem with magic. Well, you did, huh?” He laughed again, shaking his head, “Did you see his face?! Priceless. I never knew you had that in you, Merlin.”

Merlin’s mouth fell open as he spluttered, “So, you’re not mad?”

Arthur shook his head, smiling, “No, Merlin, I am not mad. However, I must say that the blinding golden eyes may have been a bit more dramatic than necessary.”

Merlin blushed, “Yeah, I may have gone a tad overboard.”

Arthur took another step closer to him, still with that soft smile that made Merlin’s heart beat faster, “You’re an idiot.” 

Merlin let out a breathless laugh, and immediately shot back: “But you love me.”

Merlin went still as those words replayed back in his mind, not daring to look at Arthur now. Arthur came up directly in front of him, and he used his finger to gently lift Merlin’s head towards him.

“I suppose I do, hmm?” 

Merlin’s heart fluttered even faster, “Yeah?”

Arthur leaned closer, almost breathing the same air, “Yeah.”

Merlin couldn’t help but lean into Arthur’s lips, smiling like the idiot Arthur thinks he is. And Merlin wondered, leaning his forehead against his king’s, that maybe _he_ would make a decent queen after all.

**Author's Note:**

> WOOO day one if merthurweek2020!!! i hope anyone who wants to join is able to :) i cant wait to read everyone’s fics!! 
> 
> i’ll be participating every day so be prepared for seven fics this week😂
> 
> if you are interested in participating, visit @merthurweek2020 for more details and amazing merthur content!!
> 
> i hope you all enjoyed day one! (title: now or never by jatp)


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